Imprinter



Oct. 10; 1961 J. F. HERBERT, JR

IMPRINTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1959 JOHN EMQ'QBEQZJQ INVENTOR.YBY

a roava s I JOHN C DOE kq? EHH BUD Oct. 10, 1961 J. F. HERBERT, JR3,003,415

IMPRINTER Filed NOV. 3, .1959

4 SheetsSheet 4 JOHN E A/EQEEQZJQ,

INVENTOR.

dr a ys United States Patent M John F. Herbert, In, Santa Clara,Calif.', assignor to of America National Trust and Savings Association,San Francisco, Calif., a national banking association Filed Nov. 3,1952, Ser. No. 850,668 5 Claims. (Cl. 101-269) This invention relates toan imprinter, and, more particularly, to improved apparatus forimpringting on paper data in the form of raised lettering on a card.

The credit card has become a very widely used device. The card usuallyconsists of plastic material, on which certain information has beenprinted, and, in addition, other information for identifying the user ofthe credit card is present inthe form of raised lettering and numbers.The mechanics of the transfer of this identifying information to adocument, whereby the credit-card user may be billed and the merchantwho has sold him merchandise may be paid, is simple. An arrangement isprovided for pressing the card against a sheet of transfer paper whichis in contact with the document. The credit-card user is then asked tosign the document, signifying the authenticity thereof. 7 7

Although the actual mechanics of the transfer of the credit-cardinformation to the document is simple, the mechanical arrangementsfor'carrying out such imprinting dovary. In every instance, however,there is required a stable base position for the imprinter beingemployed, as a result of which these imprinters must remain at a fixedlocation. in stores or service stations where large areas are covered bythe sales personnehthis requires either a large number of the imprintersto be placed about such areas or that the salespeople do a great deal ofwalking to and from the locations at which the imprinters arepositioned.

An object of this invention is to provide an imprinter which isportable.

Another problem which arises with imprinters is in getting the pressure,to obtain the best transfer between the credit card and the documentthrough the transfer paper, Too great a pressure causes distortion oftheinformation; too little pressure causes a poor transfer. This isimportant, in view of the fact that automatic charactersensingtechniques are desired to be used for reading the documents. Unless asubstantially perfect transfer occurs, automatic character-recognitiontechniques can provide faultyresults. The adjustment of the pressure ofthe roller mechanism employed for applying such pressure heretofore hasbeen complicated, difficult, and time consuming.

A further object of the-present invention is to provide an imprinter,wherein the adjustment of roller pressures is performed very simply. p

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a portableimprinter, wherein thealignment of 'a credit card and a document;towhich information is to be transr d i h T-i m d Simply. v V

Yet another object of the present invention is a novel, useful, andineirpensive portable-imprinting apparatus.

in These and other objects of the invention are achieved in anarrangement wherein an imprinter is in the form of a box, having a coverwhich is hingedly attached thereto for covering one side of the box. Thecover has milled recesses for the insertion thereto of the credit card.When the cover is closed on the box, it positions the credit card ontransfer paper which is on the document, to which information from thecard is to be transferred. The document rests on 'a template which hassuitable positioning and holding means for the document. The templatehas openings therein which are aligned with the portions of the cardbearing raised lettering which is to be Patented Oct. 10, 1951transferred to the document. Within the box there are supported rollerswhich extend through the openings in the template. Further, there areprovided means for moving these rollers to rotate along the areas of thedocument to which transfer is desired, with sufiicient pressure toeffectuate such transfer. Means are provided in the form of anaccessible screw adjustment for adjusting the pressure exerted by therollers on the document and credit card. A releasable latch is providedwhich holds the cover, when closed, against the pressure of the rollers.When the rollers have been moved over the area of the document forefiectuating the desired transfer, they effectively cause the latch torelease the cover for removal of the credit card and the document onwhich the imprinting has been done.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of this inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well asadditional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood fromthe following description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view, illustrating an embodiment 'of theinvention open to receive a credit card and document upon which thecreditcard information is to be transferred;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention in itsdata-transfer operating position;

FIGURE 3 is a view in section along the lines 33 of FIGURE 2 andillustrates the roller pressure-adjusting means of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view along the lines 44 of FIGURE 3,illustrating the rollers and how they serve to release the latch whichis employed to hold the cover;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view along the lines 55 of FIGURE 3,illustrating the drive shaft assembly;

FIGURE 6 is a partial section along the lines 66 of FIGURE 4,illustrating the latch assembly when holding the cover closed;

FIGURE 7 is a view such as FIGURE 6, which illustrates operation of thelatch assembly for opening the cover;

FIGURE 8 is a partial section along the lines 8-8 of FIGURE 4, whichillustrates the manner in which the roller exerts pressure foreffectuating imprinting;

FIGURE 9 is a partial'section along the lines 99 of FIGURE 6,illustrating the details of a clip for holding a document and transferpaper in position;

FIGURE 10 illustrates a typical document of the type on whichcredit-card data is to be imprinted;

FIGURE 11 illustrates a typical credit card suitable for use with theinvention; and

FIGURE 12 is an isometric exploded view, illustrating the layout of thevarious parts of the embodiment of the invention.

In the description that follows, besides the figures of the drawings, towhich specific reference is made, reference should also be made toFIGURE 12. FIGURE '12 is anexploded, isometric view of the invention andassists inunderstanding the relationship between all the parts.

' Reference is now made to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, which is anisometric view of an embodiment of this invention. The imprinter isshown in an open position to receive a credit card ill and a document12A, to which the data on the credit card is to be transferred. Thedocument has attached thereto a sheet of transfer paper 12B, to providethe ink for the transferred lettering. It

theupper side of which there is supported a template ls upon which thedocument 12A and transfer paper 123 are placed. A credit card is placedin a suitable recess 13 which is milled in the cover. The credit card isheld in place by a pair of clips 17, 20. The card is brought up againstan edge of the milled recess which is opposite the finger hole 22.An'opening 30 is milled in the cover to be engaged by a latch 37, whichis located in the shell, when the cover is closed. The remainingopenings 34, 36, which are milled in the cover, are provided to enablethe proper closing of the cover, allowing for the presence of holdingclips 38, 40, which are respectively mounted on the templateand on theshell, and which are a may be turned, in order to rotate the rollers androll them over the areas on the document over which the transfer is'totake place.

FIGURE 2 shows the embodiment of the invention in its closed positionduring which the transfer of data from the credit card is made to occurby rotating the knurled knob 48. Such rotation, as well as lateralmotion, occurs from one end to the other of a slot 50, which is in thewall of the shell, aifording communication between the knurled knob 48and the rollers 42A, 42B from outside the shell. When the knob 48 hastraveled from the hinged to the latched end of the shell, as shown inFIGURE 2, the latch 37 is released, whereby the cover 14 is released andpartially opened, enabling the removal of the credit card and thedocument.

FIGURE 3 is a section along the lines 33 of FIGURE 2, showing therelative positions of the card, transfer paper, and document,as well asthe rollers, when the cover 14. is closed. The card 10 is positionedad-' jacent to transfer paper 12B, which in turn is held in contact withthepaper 12A upon which the credit-card data is to be transferred. Itshould be understood that more than one set of transfer papers anddocuments may be employed for the simultaneous transfer to all of thedocuments of the data on the credit card. Only one is being shown hereby way of example, and not by way of limitation. The rollers 42A, 42Bextend through the slots in the template 18 in contact with the document12A. The cover 14 is attached to the shell 16 by means of a hinge pin15. Both the cover and shell have their respective ends formed intotubes (as may be seen in FIGURE 12), for the purpose of receiving thehinge pin 15. The rollers are carried in a roller assembly frame 52,which fits within the shell 16. Tapped holes 54A, 5413, 56A, 56B (seeFIGURE 12) extend through the walls 58, 60 of the roller assembly shell.Screws 62A, 62B, 64A, 64B (see FIGURE 12) are threaded into these 7holes and bear against the bottom of the shell. By turning the screwsthere is provided both a leveling arrauge- V ment, as well as a meanswhereby the pressure exerted by the rollers 42A, 42B against thedocument 12 may be easily adjusted. Further, as may be seen in FIGURE12, these screws are readily accessible through the template when thecover is opened for any required adjustment.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevation along the lines 4-4 ofFIGURE 3. FIGURE 5 is a view in section along the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 3.FIGURES 4 and 5 together show the arrangement employed in the embodimentof the invention for the purpose of mounting and supporting the rollers42A, 42B, as well as for securing the rolling motion required toeflectuate the desired transfer of data. In addition, FIGURE 4 shows indotted lines the position of the rollers at the end of an imprintingoperation and just before releasing the latch. The two rollers 42A, 42Bare spaced apart on a hollow shaft 42C a distance to enable them toextend through the apertures of the template. The roller shaft42Cexments.

4 tends on either side of the rollers, until it is proximal to theopposite walls 66, 68 of the roller assembly frame.

An axle or subshaft 70 extends through the hollow shaft 42C and supportsthe roller 42. This shaft has attached thereto by means of set screws ateach of its ends a pinion gear, respectively, 72, 74. The shaft 70 hasbeen made partially flat on each end to accommodate the set' screws inthe pinion gears 72 and 74." The opposite walls 66, 68 of the rollerassembly frame have aligned slots therein extending along their lengths.These slots effectively comprise a first opening 76, 78, which is on theinside of the frame wall and which is just large enough to permit theaxle-70 to be rolled therealong. The first openings open intosecond-openings 80, 82, which are wide enough to accommodate both thepinion gears 72, 74 as well as two rack gears 84, 86, which are attachedto the walls 66, 68 by means of screws. An arrangement for atfordingexternal rotation of the rollers is provided by means of an inner shaft88, on one end of which there is attached by means of a. set screw theknurled knob 48. The inner shaft 88 is attached to the axle '70 he meansof two set screws 90A and 90B, leaving the roller shaft 420 free to turnon the axle 70.

For the purpose of achieving the imprinting operation, the knurled knobis first brought to the side of the imprinter to which the cover isattached. The card and document forms are then inserted and the coverisclosed and latched. The knurled knob is then turned toward the latchside of the imprinter. When it reaches the latch side 'of the imprinter,it releases the latch 37. The position of the roller assembly justbefore reaching the latch release is shown by the dashed-dotted lines inFIGURE 4.

FIGURES 6 and 7 shown in sectional views the appearance of'the latchmechanism, respectively in the latched and released positions. FIGURES 6and 7 are partial sectional views taken along the lines 6-6 of FIGURE 4.When the cover 14 is closed to engage the latch 37, a hook end of thelatch catches a suitably shaped projection, which is in the latchaperture 30 in the cover. The latch lever 37 is maintained in theengaging position by spring pressure provided by a helical spring 100,which is inserted through a suitable. aperture in the shell wall andheld in position by a spring stopper 102 which is used to plug theaperture. The latch 37 is pivotally mounted on a pin 104 which issupported by the outer shell wall. A latch release pin 106 is moved 'ofFIGURE 4. This view is shown to illustrate how the roller 42 presses thedocument, including the transfer paper 12B and the document 12A, upagainst the raised lettering 10B on the credit card 10. The rollers arefree to rotate on shaft 70;.however, they are rolled by reason of theircontact with document 12A while being laterally transported from thehinged end of the imprinter to the latch end. When this occurs, thelatch is actuated to release the cover 14.

FIGURE 9 is a detail in section and shows how the clip 40 is mounted inthe shell wall. This clip assists in holding thetransfer paper and thedocument 12B, 12A, respectively, in position. The clip 40 is a springclip and can be readily bent to release or admit the docu- Eachclip isheld in position by an associated screw 40A, which is threaded into asuitably tapped hole in the shell wall.

FIGURE 10 is shown to illustrate a typical document 12, to which thecredit data is to be transferred. Illustrative information can consistof space for the name of the salesman, the dealers name, the dealersaccount In the space imprinted the data which is transferred from thecredit card. n

A credit card i sribwnjnaro'unn 11. rrma consist of the name of the issing o ganization, terms and conditions governing the use 'of the creditcard, and pertinent information on the individual to whomthe credit cardis issued. In the space on the card which lie opposite the apertures inthe template 18 there is provided the raised lettering 10A, and 10B, thenameof the individual, and, other, pertinent information onthe owner ofthe credit card; as well as his aecount number. A credit c rd s ri v 1 551s ..r 1a t ma r a reb it sir t .i r .Qt..1 .m nsa s.. 2 .s=a hs a 11rollerpresl'sur e required for transferring data in the imprinterwarrant the letters being flattened out.

FIGURE 12 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the invention fromwhich the association of the various parts thereof may be seen. Thecover 14 has hinge tubes 14A, 14B formed on one end. The shell 16 has amating-hinge tube 16A formed at one side thereof. The cover is attachedto the shell by means of the pin 15, which is passed through the hingetubes 14A, 16A, 14B. Spring chps 17, 20 are attached to the cover bymeans of screws for the purpose of holding the credit card in positionthereon.

The template 18 has an aligning edge 18A for the document formed thereinby an increase in the thickness of the template at the desired location.A spring clip 38, attached to the template, assists in holding thedocument in place. The spring clip 38 is fastened to the template by ascrew. The template 18 has recesses 18B, 18C milled therein, to provideclearance for spring clips 17 and 20. The template is fastened by screwsonto the base shell 16. Leveling and pressure-adjusting screws 62A, 62B,64A, 64B are threaded into the respective apertures 54A, 54B, 56A, 568,which extend through the opposite frame walls 58, 60. These screws areturned until they bear against the base of the shell 16 for the purposeof leveling and adjusting the pressure of the rollers. The template 18has suitably located apertures to afford access to the screws 62A, 62B,64A, 64B at all times.

The roller-assembly frame is fitted within the shell 16. Thereafter, thesubshaft 88 is inserted in the shaft 70, and the knurled knob 48 ismounted on the subshaft 88, whereby the rollers may be operated fromoutside the shell. The template 18 is then fastened onto the shell.

Also attached to the base shell 16 is a spring clip 40, which assists inholding the document in position and the latch 37, including the pin 104on which the latch 37 is pivotally supported. A spring 100 and springplug 102 bias the latch to hold the cover closed, until actuated torelease the cover 'by the axle shaft 70.

There has accordingly been shown and described herein a novel and usefulapparatus for imprinting from a credit card the data which is in raisedlettering thereon to one or more documents suitably arranged forreceiving such imprinting. The structure is simple to operate. It isportable and may be hand-held while being operated, if desired.Furthermore, the procedures required for aligning the document andcredit card, in order for the desired imprinting to take place, isextremely simple and substantially foolproof.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for imprinting on a sheet of paper the raised lettering ona card comprising a box; a cover for said box, hinge means for attachingsaid cover to said box at one edge thereof, means on said cover forreleasably holding said card, means for releasably holding said sheet ofpaper at the side of said box upon which said cover will close, latchmeans for holding said cover closed with said card next to said paper,roller means, means for supporting said roller means in said box forrolling motion over the surface of said paper and pressing same againstsaid card including a box-shaped roller-assembly frame having a top andb'otto'm side joined by four walls, said top side being open and slotsbeing formed in each of two opposite walls of said rollerassembIy frame,said slots extending along the length of said opposite walls parallel toeach other and to said top side, a rack gear in each of said slots, ashaft means on which said roller means are mounted, two pinion gears,and means for attaching said two pinion gears to said shaft means at adistance from one another for engaging said rack gears for moving saidroller, means extending external to said box for moving said rollermeans, and means actuated by said roller means for re leasing said latchmeans when said roller means has been rolled over the entire area ofsaid paper which is to be imprinted.

2. Apparatus for imprinting on a sheet of paper the raised lettering ona card comprising a box-shaped shell having top and bottom sides joinedby four walls, said top side being open, and a slot extendingsubstantially along the length of one of said walls and being parallelto said top sides, a cover for said shell top side, hinge means forattaching said cover to said shell for closing on its top side, clipmeans attached to the side of said cover which closes on said shell forreleasably holding said card, a template attached to and covering thetop side of said shell, said template having slots therein at locationscorresponding to those of the raised lettering on said card which it isdesired to imprint, clip means attached to said template for releasablyholding said sheet of paper in position to be imprinted by said card,latch means for holding said cover closed with said card next to saidpaper, roller means, means for supporting said roller means within saidshell for rolling motion and pressure against said paper through theslots of said template, means for applying rolling motion to said rollermeans through the slot in the wall of said shell, and means forreleasing said latch means when said roller means has been rolled overthe area of said paper which is to be imprinted.

3. Apparatus for imprinting as recited in claim 2 wherein said means forsupporting said roller means within said shell for rolling motion andpressure against said paper through the slots of said template comprisesa box-shaped roller assembly frame having top and bottom sides joined byfour walls, said roller assembly frame fitting within said shell, thetop side of said roller assembly frame being open and a slot extendingalong each of the walls parallel with the wall in said shell which has aslot, said slots all being substantially aligned, a rack gear in each ofthe slots in the walls of said roller assembly frame, shaft means onwhich said roller means are mounted, two pinion gears, and means forattaching said two pinion gears to said shaft means spaced apart fromone another for engaging said rack gears for rolling said rollerstherealong, and means for adjusting the pressure of said roller meansagainst said paper.

4. Apparatus for imprinting as recited in claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the pressure of said roller means against said paper comprisesa plurality of screws, and a plurality of tapped holes extending throughthe walls of said roller assembly frame from the top to bottom sides inwhich said screws are threaded to afford adjustment of the distance ofsaid roller assembly frame from the bottom side of said shell.

5. Apparatus for imprinting on a sheet of paper the raised lettering ona card comprising a box-shaped shell having top and bottom sides joinedby four Walls, said top side being open, and a slot extendingsubstantially along the length of one of said walls and being parallelto said top sides, a cover for said shell top side, hinge means forattaching said cover to said shell for closing on its top side, clipmeans attached to the side of said cover which closes on said shell forreleasably holding said card, a template attached to and covering thetop side of said shell, said template having slots therein at locationscorresponding to those of the raised lettering on said card whichit isdesired to imprint, clip means attached to said ,named means including aroller assembly frame having walls parallel'to the wall of said shellhaving a slot, slots in said roller assembly frame walls,,a]l said slotsbeing coextensive and substantialy aligned with one another, shaft meanson which said roller means are mounted, said shaft means extending intoand being supported by said slots in said roller frame assembly, meansattached to said shaft 5 2,9 99

means through said slot in said shell for applying a rolling motionthereto, means for adjusting the pressure of said roller means, andmeans forv releasing said latch means when said roller' means has beenrolled over the area of said paper which is to be imprinted, f

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS H 7677,910 Woodrufi .'J1ily 9, 1901 700,119 Higgins May 13,1902 2,530,049Ekblow -5. Nov. 14, 1950 2,598,161 Gruver May 27, 1952 2,848,943 SimonsAug. 26, 1958 Evans Aug. 25, 1959

